The Only Way To Grow

The Only Way to Grow

Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 18:4

Pride, at its core, is the desire to live apart from God. Pride is convincing ourselves that, on any particular issue, we know better than he does. Practicing humility is essential because it helps us confront our pride long before we reach disaster. Humility begins with knowing who God is and who we are in comparison. It is not about seeing ourselves as less, but about seeing God as so much more—as the one who is perfect in goodness and all-loving toward his creation.

This perspective helps us trust that God’s plans are far better than our own. We cannot force ourselves to be humble. However, we can ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we are controlled by pride (for example, in characteristics like stubbornness, distrust that God’s Word is true, hypocrisy, or arrogance). In fact, almost every sinful action stems from pride, which is why it’s so important to practice humility. Without humility, we become unteachable and miss out on learning from and growing with God.